Mastering a Masonry Apprenticeship

A masonry apprenticeship is the first step in the masonry trade. The concept arises from the guild system of Europe in the Middle Ages, an early form of the trade union, which was important in maintaining quality of workmanship and consistency in fees and wages. In a nutshell, a Master would have a shop, and in this shop, he would have apprentices and journeymen, all working at various aspects of the particular trade.

The ways of the guilds

At about age seven, a boy would be apprenticed to the trade master to begin the process of learning the trade. Depending on the skills demanded of the trade, the apprentice would spend a predetermined number of years learning the fundamentals of it, as well as be responsible for the upkeep of the shop. At the end of the apprenticeship, he would advance to journeyman, and at the end of that period of training, move towards Master, and have his own shop. The quality of life for an apprentice depended on the goodness of the Master. Some looked after the members of their shop and treated them well; others viewed their apprentices and journeymen as slave labor, and treated them accordingly.

Although there are still some vestiges of the guild system still in effect, for the most part it has been replaced by trades and workers unions who oversee training, and equip individuals to be self-sustaining businesspeople. In the United States, the training is even less formal, and time spent learning the is greatly reduced, although the standards applied to the demonstration of the skills necessary to be certified and licensed as a Master are as rigorous as they have ever been.

Current apprenticeship training

In the United States, an individual may begin a masonry apprenticeship at any time, though the earliest one can enter is at seventeen. Initial training is on the job as a laborer, and if interest is shown by the trainee, the construction company or masonry union will arrange for formal training, which lasts about three to four years.

Training is a mix of hands on experience and classroom work. Apprentices begin as helpers, mason tenders, and carry out basic construction and site maintenance chores, all while learning the terminology and techniques of the trade. Classroom instruction, spanning 144 hours, focuses on understanding materials, tools, terminology, and construction technique, as well as further education in algebra, geometry, blueprint reading, and mechanical drawing.

As the apprentice becomes familiar with the fundamentals, he or she gradually learn how to lay brick, set stone, and work with mortar. During this stage, an experienced craftworker carries out supervision. At the end of the apprenticeship, individuals move into the craftworker stage. The importance of these gradations depends on a number of things, most notably if the worker needs to belong to a union in that part of the country. Open-shop states do not have the same quality control measures.